JD 44

Just as Grandma was staring at her grandson and Muheon with a deeply disapproving look, about to open her mouth, they were saved by the doctor returning with medical tools. Thanks to him, Grandma’s nagging didn’t even get the chance to start.

Instead, the doctor’s scolding rained down on Grandma, and Hakyung chimed in helpfully beside her.

His constant interjections made steam practically shoot out of the top of Grandma’s head.

“Grandma, sit here. I’ll go take care of the bill.”

“Here, use this to pay.”

Grandma, her leg now in a large cast, pulled a card out of her pocket. Hakyung jumped in protest.

“I earn money now! What are you doing? Put that away right now.”

“Grandma has money too!”

“So do I!”

Giving a short reply, Hakyung turned and walked briskly toward the reception desk. Grandma watched his retreating back and let out a short sigh.

Not long ago, this boy couldn’t do a thing without her. Now that he was the one taking care of her, the pride she should’ve felt was drowned out by guilt. She felt like a burdensome old woman, stealing time and money from her grandson.

“Hakyung gets paid well. You don’t need to worry.”

The man who had been silent up to now finally spoke. At his words, Grandma gave a dry chuckle.

“Is that so? Hakyung told me on the phone that he made good money… I guess that wasn’t a lie.”

“It’s true.”

His response was plain and simple. Whether Muheon wanted to make a good impression or simply didn’t care, it was hard to tell.

Even someone with years of social experience would usually feel a little awkward in front of their partner’s grandmother—but Muheon showed no signs of discomfort.

After giving him another once-over, Grandma began a proper round of questioning.

“You’re quite a bit older, aren’t you?”

“Yes, quite a bit.”

He didn’t bother adding, “Older than a grandma who talks down to me.”

“Your business—is it solid?”

“It’s a family enterprise, passed down. There’s no chance it would collapse overnight.”

Hearing that, the crease in Grandma’s brow smoothed a little.

“But… you’re from the sea, aren’t you? I can feel the salty aura just standing next to you.”

“…Yes.”

This time, he had little to say. He’d heard that even before Hakyung’s accident, the elders in the village had deeply disliked anything from the sea.

And yet, when Hakyung had mumbled that he liked the boss anyway, it was so cute Muheon had just kissed him without much thought. But now, receiving harsh looks just for being born of the sea left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Of course, sea-born creatures also sneered at river creatures, saying they smelled like dirt.

“Hmph. You know my grandson almost drowned in the sea, right?”

“I heard.”

Not only had he heard about it—he was the one who saved him. If he confessed he fell in love with Hakyung’s crying voice back then, he’d probably get beaten on the spot.

Muheon gave a short laugh in his head and continued.

“Apparently, that punk—excuse me, that guy who saved him—kept treating him badly afterward.”

“That rotten little bastard! Just the sight of that rat’s face made my blood boil! I heard his whole family went bankrupt and ran off in the night?”

“He hasn’t shown up since?”

“Nope! Not a single strand of hair!”

Seemed like Kim Taeyoung had some sense for self-preservation—he was staying far, far away.

Grandma still fumed at the memory, and just then, Hakyung returned from the counter. He glanced around, curious what had happened while he was gone.

Grandma and Muheon fell silent in unison. There was no need to stir up bad memories for Hakyung.

“Grandma, they said you have to live like this for two weeks, then come back for another scan.”

“Two weeks? That’s gonna be stifling.”

“Who told you to fall in the first place? I’m seriously upset!”

Hakyung thumped his chest in frustration. Just thinking of her swollen leg made his heart drop all over again.

Seeing her grandson so worked up made Grandma just as frustrated. Regardless of her reasons, she had ended up worrying her family.

A short silence settled over them.

Muheon gently patted Hakyung’s back with his large hand. A faint tremble passed through his palm.

“Hakyung’s been really worried. Kang Hakyung, all you had to say was that you were worried about your grandma. Why get angry?”

“But… yeah, I did get mad. I’m sorry, Grandma, for yelling.”

Hakyung bowed his head. He felt guilty for lashing out when she was the one hurting.

Grandma smiled slightly as she watched him apologize so sincerely.

Her childish, clumsy, piggy of a first grandson seemed to have grown up a bit. Maybe his steady, quiet boyfriend was rubbing off on him.

She still wasn’t thrilled about the fact that he was from the sea, older, and a bit gruff—but it was clear he adored her grandson.

Over seventy years, she’d met countless people and beastmen, but this man wasn’t the type to form light, casual ties.

Grandma grabbed the man’s arm and asked:

“Hakyung’s boyfriend. So? You staying for dinner?”

***

Thanks to having breakfast together every morning, Muheon already knew river dolphins could cook. But now he saw where that skill came from—Grandma.

With just sesame oil and salt, she’d made greens taste amazing. The marinated salted shrimp, the mushroom-only soybean paste stew—every dish was full of flavor.

Despite sitting uncomfortably at the small table, Muheon had already polished off two bowls of rice. Hakyung’s younger siblings, seated beside him, just gaped at how he ate.

“Wow, Hakyung’s boss really eats well!”

“Well duh, look how big he is! You’re tiny because you’re so picky!”

“Hey! River dolphins are supposed to be small!”

Even the youngest, Hawon, had joined the chaos after school. The noisy Kang household didn’t annoy him—it felt warm and familiar.

Hakyung brought another bowl of rice from the cooker and placed it in front of the boss.

“Boss, my grandma’s cooking is amazing, right?”

“Yeah.”

“This here—this shrimp in the salted sauce—I caught it myself! Good, right?”

Hakyung placed the salted shrimp on Muheon’s spoon with a proud grin. It wasn’t a useful skill in Seoul, but he wanted to boast that he was the village’s top shrimp catcher.

Muheon smiled slightly and popped the whole bite into his mouth. The man who had just eaten two bowls made it look effortless.

Delighted, Hakyung quickly finished his own bowl too.

“It’s been so long since I’ve had Grandma’s food. I’m so happy. Boss, you’re eating like it’s amazing too! See? My grandma’s the best!”

“Oh really? I feel bad serving you all this without a single piece of meat, but seeing you eat so well makes me happy!”

Hakyung gave her a double thumbs-up, and Grandma grinned like a young girl. Her grandkids all smiled back. It was a simple, joyful moment.

Only Muheon, unfamiliar with such ticklish situations, quietly emptied his third bowl.

With his belly full, Hakyung got ready to head back to Seoul. Grandma and his siblings all looked disappointed, but no one said anything.

Hakyung felt the same. Still, both he and the boss had skipped work today, so surely others were picking up the slack.

Thankfully, the doctor said that as long as Grandma avoided walking and overexertion, things wouldn’t get worse.

He asked his siblings to take care of her, then busily transferred money on his phone.

“Buy yourselves something tasty with this. And get new hats or whatever. Got it?”

“Whoa! Hyung gave us allowance!”

“Me too, me too!”

For students, the amount was quite large. As they jumped around in excitement, Hakyung sniffled, a little embarrassed.

Grandma looked ready to scold him for giving them money, so he quickly grabbed Muheon’s arm and hurried toward the car.

“Grandma! I’ll be back the weekend after next! Don’t do any fieldwork, and no moving around, got it?”

“You little pig!”

He leapt into the passenger seat, leaving Grandma’s shout behind him. The car, filled with a cool scent like the boss’s cologne, made him let out a deep sigh of relief.

As Muheon got into the driver’s seat, he gently cupped Hakyung’s soft cheek.

“I’m glad she’s not too badly hurt.”

“Yeah… Me too. Thank God.”

Hakyung’s shoulders trembled slightly as he replied. His big eyes shimmered with emotion.